Indian Larry Day pays tribute to the builder and the man

Monday

Nov 5, 2012 at 2:00 AM

Larry DeSmedt (aka Indian Larry) grew up in the Newburgh area. He became a noted bike builder and artist, stunt rider and biker. An old school chopper builder, Larry saw choppers as being an art form. At an early age he became interested in the Kustom Kulture scene of hot rods and motorcycles and loved the style of Von Dutch and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Larry died in 2004 while performing one of his bike stunts during the filming of his third Biker Build-Off show.

Donna Kessler

Larry DeSmedt (aka Indian Larry) grew up in the Newburgh area. He became a noted bike builder and artist, stunt rider and biker. An old school chopper builder, Larry saw choppers as being an art form. At an early age he became interested in the Kustom Kulture scene of hot rods and motorcycles and loved the style of Von Dutch and Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. Larry died in 2004 while performing one of his bike stunts during the filming of his third Biker Build-Off show.

Larry was friends with Motorcyclepedia Museum founder Ted Doering. Teddy and Larry were childhood friends, and Ted's dad, Jerry, was the Boy Scout leader in Larry's troop. Jerry's influence on Larry would be evidenced later in life by his ride selection. Jerry is known for racing Indians, and his love for this sport had a profound effect on Larry.

"Larry always spoke about motorcycles as visceral objects," Ted said, "noting once that he would like a 'clear,' see-through transmission case to view the gears working. He would fabricate or customize every piece because on a motorcycle, you can see everything."

On Sept. 15 at the museum, Indian Larry's life and talent was celebrated during Indian Larry Day. Visitors and Indian Larry fans filled the museum. Larry's family and friends were also on hand, among them his mother, Dorothy DeSmedt, his wife, Bambi, his sister, Tina DeSmedt-Wells, Paul Cox, who worked with Larry in the shop, Rodger Baker, who created a mowed field portrait of Indian Larry, and family friend Conrad Stenglein, who taught Larry how to weld.

Personal memorabilia, donated to the museum by the family, was displayed in a glass case. Photos and paintings of Larry lined the walls, and a few of his bikes were displayed just for that day. Making the day even more personal were the personal stories that Conrad shared with a few of the visitors.

"The big thing was to hang out on Broadway in Newburgh," Conrad said. "It was a cold night. Larry was in the side car, I was driving. Had to be October or November. So Larry took a sleeping bag and got in it as we started to race this Corvette. All of a sudden a car pulls out in front of us and I slammed on the brakes and the side car hits the bumper of the car.

"The lady gets out of the car just as Larry's hand comes out of the hole in the sleeping bag. The lady screams and Larry and I just took off. I'll never forget it or the look on that woman's face."

Conrad and Larry were always goofing around during breaks from the shop. After they raised a little hell, it was back to work.

Conrad also spoke of Larry as a bike builder and welder. "If you wanted something to look different on a bike, you made it," Conrad said. "You wanted something chromed, you went to Ted. Whatever part we made for a bike, it had to be strong and had to be good, that was our thing. It had to be perfect. If Larry put something on a bike that he didn't like, he'd cut it off. That's how he was."

And Larry was no different when it came to welding. "Larry liked exposed welds," Conrad said, "Don't grind it if it is a good weld; you leave it. He felt it showed your craftsmanship. All we had in the shop was a welding machine, torches, grinder, body putty, stuff like that."

Before the official ribbon cutting, Ted thanked everyone for attending and Larry's family and friends who made the trip to be there. Dorothy, Tina and Bambi then took a huge pair of scissors and cut the ribbon to officially open the exhibit.

Indian Larry fans spoke with members of the family, who never hesitated to pose for photos and talk a little about the man they loved. Members of Indian Larry Tribute MC traveled from Norway to pay respect to the very man their club represents.

It was an emotional day, but a happy day. It was a day that was long overdue, but one that proved that Indian Larry's legacy lives on.

dkessler@th-record.com

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